The Long Beach State women’s basketball team unravelled late in the second half Friday as it dropped its opening game of the Gene Hackerman Invitational in Houston.
The 49ers (1-7) trailed by as little as two points with under 10 minutes left to play, but a string of turnovers and poor shooting led to a 62-52 loss to the Lady Cougars at the Tudor Fieldhouse.
The Beach came out with purpose to start the second half as they took their first lead of the contest, 33-32, after a blocked shot from Courtney Jacob propelled a fastbreak layup by Tipesa Moorer.
But LBSU’s lead was short-lived as it went on a five-minute scoring drought. Dominique Smith drained a shot from beyond the arc to cap an 11-0 run for PVAMU (3-3) with 15:11 remaining in the game.
However, the ‘Niners roared back after hitting five of their next six shots to cut the deficit, 47-45, with 9:48 left to play.
But from there, The Beach committed 7 turnovers and missed six of its next seven shots. PVAMU went up by as many as 14 points with 1:09 left to play as it held on for a 10-point victory.
Despite outshooting the Lady Panthers, 43.8 percent to 38.6 percent, the 49ers finished with a staggering 31 turnovers and allowed 15 offensive rebounds.
Junior Tipesa Moorer led The Beach with a season-high 15 points, while Ella Clark finished with an all-around effort of 12 points, eight rebounds and two blocks.
Meanwhile, Dominique Smith paced the Lady Panthers with 21 points, while Robin Jones added a double-double with 14 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. Siarra Soliz also chipped in with 15 points and four assists.
The Lady Panthers stormed out to a 16-7 lead to open up the contest and went up by as many as 11 points after a pair of free throws by Jones.
The ‘Niners then closed in on PVAMU with a 10-2 surge that was capped by a jumper from Amanda Sims to cut the lead, 28-25, with 2:21 remaining in the half. The Beach then traded baskets with the Lady Panthers as it trailed by a 32-29 margin at the break.
The 49ers return to action Saturday as they concludes the Gene Hackerman Invitational against either Rice or Louisiana-Monroe. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. (PT).
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